


A Picard is always there

by TFALokiwriter



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Angst, M/M, Old Friends, Resurrection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-07
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-12 07:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5658343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TFALokiwriter/pseuds/TFALokiwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically, Picard's echo is made real and goes into the AOS. Meets two of his old friends.  Though, at what cost does he become real?</p><p> </p><p>Started: 1/6/2016.</p><p>Completed: 1/13/2016 at 6:32</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Randomly in a bright room.

"How is the patient, Frederick?"

"His pulse is returning."

"Good."

"You know, this feels weird bringing someone back to life who shouldn't be alive."

"But you forget, he was still alive when we fetched him out of there."

"However, he wasn't REAL when we took him out of there, not until we gave him a template and a organic body to become entirely real."

"Echoes are capable of becoming real. It is nothing scary to fret about."

"Who is he, anyway?"

"I don't know but he may prove to be a useful asset to our mission."

The first thought on his mind was: _My name is Jean-Luc Picard._

Second thought:  _I am--or was---an echo?_

Third thought: _I died in the phaser fire where Romulans were getting payback for the loss of their planet._

Forth thought: _What mission?_

Fifth thought: _Formerly the captain of the Enterprise_.

Then Picard felt himself drift back into obscurity as the sounds drifted away. 'Echo' as in, like an echo of a person in the Nexus. Someone had drawn him out of the Nexus? Soran had accomplished his very mission. Oh dear god, the--Oh wait, they made it safely. He worked with James T. Kirk to save an entire system. Picard could hear complaints belonging to two men. His eyes struggled to open in the surprisingly bright room. He could see there being two men standing beside the bed he lay on regarding him. His quizzical eyebrows raised.

"Jim, this man doesn't have a file in Star Fleet or anywhere." Came a southern sounding voice.

"Bones, you are over-reacting. Besides, he's probably one of those technophobes." Jim said.

"It is mandatory to have a birth certificate, damn it!" Bones said.

"Leonard McCoy?" Picard found himself saying.

The two men turned their heads toward Picard as he  pushed himself upwards.

"How do you know my name?" Bones asked.

Picard stared at the young man, who reminded him of a picture of younger Kirk, lowering his eyebrow.

"I . . . met you before." Picard said.

"Hello, I am Captain James T. Kirk of the USS _Enterprise_ , and what is your name?"  Jim asked.

Picard stared long and hard at the man soaking in what he just _heard_.

"You don't look like your picture." Picard said.

The look on Jim's face faltered.

"Er, may you please answer my question?" Jim asked as Bones used a strange device to check on Picard.

"My name is Jean-Luc Picard," Picards said. "And I am obviously in a Alternate Universe."  Bones lowered his medical tricorder appearing to be in disbelief. "What is the year?"

"2258." Jim said.

"He is real,Jim," Bones said. "He has the body of a sixty-one year old."

"I am not-sixty one,"  Picard said, with a raised eyebrow. "I am eighty-two."

It also became apparent that Picard is in a strange kind of room that is a different version of a private sick bay recovery quarters. He also noticed there was a screen attached to a long pole item with a large light fixture and below that was a screen divided into four sections. There was a chair from across that was sleek and light gray.  Bones and Jim turned away sharing a hushed discussion that Picard's ears could not hear.

It didn't make sense.

Why here?

Bones shoved Jim out of the room while the young man muttered, "Hey!" "Doctor-patient confidentiality, and you can't be there for that part!" then closed the door behind him and approached Picard.  Bones had that stubborn expression about his face, one familiar that he had seen on a picture of Admiral McCoy during the time he served the original Enterprise with his arms folded. Admiral McCoy passed away in 2368 surrounded by his family in Georgia.

Ah, so this must be how it was like  (sort of) for Doctor  McCoy serving as Commanding Medical Officer of the  _Enterprise_ with Captain Jim.

"Any allergies I should be aware of?"  Bones took out a padd with a pen.


	2. The cafeteria

**. . . Enterprise. . .**

**. . . 2 hours later. . .**

Finding the cafeteria was easier said then done. Picard needed a guide. So a security officer gave him a  tour of the entire ship for two hours. At the end of the tour, Picard went straight to the cafeteria. It was different to ten forward in so many ways, there wasn't a bartender, there was rows of tables with chairs, there were a long line of replicators with trays along side them. It was so odd, Picard had been under the impression that in Admiral Jim's era that they used small individual colored disks inserted into the replicators to create anything they wanted. In the disks were data relating to the replication, the schematics, the math, equation, and the taste of it carried inside. Picard had discovered that he hadn't eaten anything since the time he was reanimated.

The cafeteria wasn't much empty with a few people chatting.

"Hello!" Came a Scottish man, sitting down in a seat across from Picard.

"Hello,  Mr Scott." Picard said, casually.

"Woah, am I that easily alike to what my other counterpart looks?" Scotty asked.

Picard looked up from the tray toward Scotty.

"The Scott I knew had a mustache, white hair, and was considerably old," Picard said. "You, on the other had, are youthful. The original Enterprise had a Scottish engineer and that it made it much easier to identify who you are."

"You're a Picard," Scotty said, taking out a bottle.  "Can you sign this?"

Scotty took out a pen and slid the bottle to the frenchman.

"It seems that news travels fasts here." Picard muttered to himself, signing on the label of the bottle using the pen.

"What was he--I like?" Scotty asked.

Picard lowered the bottle with a fond smile

"You missed **the** _Enterprise_ ," Picard said. "She was practically your baby."

Scotty beamed with pride.

"Oh, yes she is, sir!" Scotty said.

Picard handed the bottle back to the Scottsman.

"Might I ask, how come everything is out of order?"

"Everything is in order."

Picard sighed.

"What do you know about my story?" Picard asked.

"You are a family relative of the Picard Winery who was aboard a Romulan ship because you were kidnapped," Scotty said. "You also went one hundred some years into the future and met a few of us after the kidnapping."

"So that is the cover story." Picard said.

 _A plausible cover story_ , Picard thought.

"What cover story?" Scotty raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing. Thank you, Mr Scott, it is nice to meet you in your golden years."

"Golden?" Scotty repeated. "My _golden_ years? I will show you what is golden, Mr Picard!"

 _Eighty years being stuck in a transporter beam can take a cut out of your  life_ , Picard thought as Scotty took the bottle and left along with the pen. So he resumed eating his lunch that mostly consisted of eggs,bacon,toast, and a cup of earl gray tea. Picard was a simple man. Beverly? On the other hand, not that much of a simple woman but he adored her. Mostly dotted over her. He cared for Beverly, as a friend, and a captain. No more than ten minutes later a Vulcan came over  along with the captain. Picard could see the entrance to the cafeteria that also served as an exit. His eyes rested on the two.

"You must be Mr Spock." Picard said.

He almost resembled the picture of Spock when he was younger serving aboard the Enterprise except. . . that face.

Spock Prime's face was very distinctive.

"Affirmative," Spock said. "I am very curious, when are you from?"

"2387." Picard said.

"That's the same year Ambassador Spock failed to save Romlus." Jim noted.

Picard turned his head toward Jim with eyes wide.

"I attended his funeral procession," Picard said. His eyes returned to their natural size. "Are you saying he survived his mission?"

"Funeral procession . . ." Spock said.

"Yes, he did,"  Jim said. "He is the reason why I have my first officer, and also, we kicked Nero's ass straight into another universe."

"May I ask where the funeral procession was?" Spock asked.

"It mostly consisted of the old and outdated _Constitution_ classes," Picard said. "It was beautiful. They even took out the original Enterprise for it. Don't know how they found it but they did."

Picard saw a familiar figure walk into the room then walk back out, his eyes catching the figure and analyzing it. The hair, the 'I-am-superior-than-everyone-here-and-everyone-here-are-inferior' kind of stride, and the side of the face was familiar. He could feel his blood run cold. Q is here. What was he doing? Playing tricks on the reanimated Picard? There wouldn't be much fun to that, knowing Q, and it would be highly silly to reanimate Picard. Picard did not realize he had stood up, staring at that direction, until Spock called his last name for the fifth time out of concern. Picard shook his head then sat back down.

"Did you see your mate?" Spock asked.

Picard looked over toward Spock.

"No," Picard said. "We are not mates, never were."

"Naturally when a mate is in their line of sight and are sensed by the other, they do exactly what you did," Spock pointed out. "The way you were gazing at the direction of a fleeing figure indicates you harbor feelings that are 'not professional'. Vulcan's have this kind of tendency to stare at their mates that they haven't seen for years and soak in their appearances letting it sink into their mind."

"Q and I are not mates," Picard said. "He is just a associate of mine."

"Well," Jim said. "We came here to tell you that Star Fleet must know that Jake Lee Picard is from the future and his name is actually Jean-Luc Picard."

"Captain," Picard said. "If you do then I will deny everything you say."

Jim raised his eyebrow.

"Why?" Jim asked.

"Because my future is different and so is yours," He pointed over to the replicators. "Your future is going to diverge from the point in technology advancements and technology is very key to our society."  He rubbed his fingers together. "I will follow the Prime Directive to the tea. As a Star Fleet officer, I cannot let the knowledge of the Picard family having their first family member joining Star Fleet. I will not allow  myself to alter history. A Picard is always there to ensure history goes as planned."

"That is logical," Spock said. "Much like the Ambassador's insistance to assist Vulcan and his request."

"And who is Q?" Jim asked.

Picard grew a grim expression.

"Someone not to be trusted."

* * *

_Bored._

**Bored.**

BOOOOOOORING.

Q was bored,and he needed something to do. Anything. Perhaps he should visit that one universe where Captain Kirk has blue eyes and Spock has brown eyes  (Like in most universes). It was a fun idea. He hadn't met that version in a billion years. So what did Q do? He appeared in a shiny white flash into the brand spanking new _Constitution_ class starship in the hallway. Q was still in his 2371 command uniform out of habit. Q snapped his fingers. His attire changed to a command blue with a black shirt underneath and black regulation pants. Q walked in to the cafeteria with head raised, back straight,and hands free to his sides.

There were few people there.

Q saw a pair of pointy ears.

Two sets of human ears.

One familiar face staring at his direction.

 _Jean-Luc_?

Q froze.

Q, at first, wanted to kiss the human and hold him in his arms. But no. He was seeing a dead man staring back at him. A man he had personally saw fall to his death. Q had heard that Picard had died. Then Q had gone to the exact day that Picard _would_ die. He was simply a observer staying out of the human perception, though his feelings got to the best of him when Q saw that several phaser blasts strike the-then-captain Picard and then the human's body collapse to the ground. Picard shouldn't have died then. Not by the disruptors of the damn Romulans. Picard should have died when he was one hundred sixty. Q froze time to the exact moment Picard was laid on the ground. Picard had only ten minutes to live. Except Q unfroze Picard. Q held the then-dying-frenchman in his arms and made several admissions.

Several of which made Q feel ashamed about himself.

And he left the dying man with a apology, _"I am sorry, Jean-Luc, I can't take you with me for a eternity.That is not how it works."_ and let time resume when the captain had one minute to live. Q was trembling as he put down the captain back in the position he had picked him up in. It was one of the most difficult things Q had to do asides to letting go of his son when the continuum believed that q was matured enough _not_ to need his guidance and his eternal supervision. Q had a heart that he rather not display to the inferior species that needed his attention. Not that he is cold hearted twenty-four-seven. Q stepped out of the line of vision and snapped his fingers.

Now.

Here Picard is standing up, flesh and blood, right at Q's direction.

_No!_

_I saw him die!_

Q walked right out of the cafeteria then he made himself fall out of everyone's vision. He put his back on the wall and had himself a good cry. His tears were not heard in the hall as he put himself in a realm in between this and that which really wouldn't make sense to humans but in a sense he was still there. Q closed his eyes, forcing the tears to stop, then slid his back up against the wall regaining his composure. What would he do now? Go create a universe where he changes Spock's fate which in turn changes Picard's fate.

That would be a lot of fun.

Why didn't he think of this earlier?

Oh right, he is still grieving over the original Picard.

"Alternate Universe, here I come." Q said, and then the entity snapped his fingers where he vanished within a white flash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was inspired by the lyrics of 'Trading Yesterday-May I'.


	3. What do you remember?

"All right, Picard, what do you remember?"  Bones asked.

"Before or after I died?" Picard asked.

"Before you died." Bones said.

"I remember being in someone's arms," Picard said. "A man's arms."

Picard closed his eyes, focusing on the memory

_"Picard, I am so sorry, but I can't take you with me on a eternity," It was Q's voice. "That's not how it works."_

_Picard could remember watching the usually calm and collective entity step back, trembling like  a leaf, and start to raise his hand preparing to snap his fingers._

  
"What did he say?"  Bones asked.

"Many, many things." Picard said.

_"Jean-Luc, I love you!" Q made the words come out. The entity sighed in relief, gratefully. "I was the one who saved your heart on the operation table in 2369. You were supposed to die one year after the Enterprise-J set sail into the Delta Quadrant to go where the Voyager hadn't on a twenty-three year mission. The warp drive was replaced by a harmless form of power that wouldn't swallow entire planets due to warp pollution. I am so sorry, I should have known this earlier and kept history on its course. I should have been there to make sure Spock succeeded!"_

"Such as?" Bones asked.

"An admission that I find it hard to believe," Picard added. "He said 'I love you'."

_"I never got the chance to tell you it. I nearly was going to tell you on our last meeting but I held it back. A Q having a fling with a mortal? That would never work as they die easily. Janeway is a entirely different story. You see, I tried to make myself believe that I wasn't much in love with you as I believed. But then. . ." Q paused. "I realized that it wasn't a lie or a fetish or for entertainment. Kind of late with you dying on me." Q had a tear coming down his face. "I heard you died so I came to see for myself." Q stroked the side of the old man's face. "Partially out of guilt for not telling you."_

"A immortal celestial being told you he loved you?" Bones asked.

"Yes." Picard said.

"You are a lucky man." Bones said.

Picard stared at Bones at first in disbelief.

"But it wouldn't have worked out." Picard said.

"Sure it could, he could do anything he wants with you." Bones said.

"Why I have used the association we have at least three to four times," Picard said. "Now tell me, where was I found?"

"A abandoned Romulan space craft in a stasis pod," Bones said.  "The ship you were in was adrift."

_Seconds ticking away._

_Picard's body in the arms of a celestial being._

_One who had obviously frozen Picard's injuries and made a shield for them to not bleed on himself._

_This was a side of Q that Picard had never seen._

_Held in the arms of someone felt warm and content. Relaxing, really, like nothing was going to happen. He had never found himself in the arms of a celestial being. Never. Q stopped popping up aboard his ship starting from 2371 up to the day Picard had died. Perhaps Q was convincing himself that he hadn't fallen for the human as he had said, to believe that it was just a 'fetish' of some sort for how long._

_How long?_

_The entity vanished._

_"Q. . ."  Picard had managed to say. He was never going to say it again, too, as this were his final moments (or so Picard believed). "I love you, too."_

_The words fell on the wind._

 "Hm," Picard said. "Interesting."

"And after he admitted, what happened?" Bones asked. "Did you say anything to him?"

"He left."

"That is a huge thing, Mr Picard," Bones said. "Don't tell me you said nothing."

"I said nothing," Picard said. "My life was passing through my mind and I was distracted."

"Okay, what happened leading to the unexpected attack?" Bones asked.


	4. Finding something off.

Somehow, at night, instead of falling asleep Picard found himself at a computer typing away at a program. Picard stopped himself, grabbing at his wrist. What was he doing? He didn't know how to bypass programs. . . .Unless. . . This was pertaining to the Federation or the _Enterprise_. Picard slowly backtracked repairing the programs using knowledge that were somehow planted inside his brain. Genetic memory. Somehow his memories were different, what else could be different?

Could the 'I love you' admission memory not be his?

No, it was too real.

He could remember the 2371 command red uniform Q had on. The entity was crying. There were tears streaming down Q's cheek. They were the tears of grief and distress, and might he dare suggest: love? That was totally new to see from Q. Q barely showed anything other than that cold deamenor and sometimes a scowl and amused laugh at how Picard accused him of a situation they were in and Q would deny it. One time Q brought them into the  Q Olympics  as a big show off and they ended up losing the game by not doing anything.  It was amusing to see  Q get pissed off, stammer, and have to explain himself to his superiors on why he brought 'defunctional toys'.

If Data were here, he would make the suggestion, " _Perhaps there is more to your condition then you are lead to believe_." and Picard recounted the first conversation before he woke up in Med Bay. Why did they lead him out of the Nexus and how come he has memories from his original life that extend from out of the Nexus?  Why was he hacking into the _Enterprise_? Data could then suggest, _"Perhaps your genetically engineered body placement was programmed. It is possible regarding the circumstance of your arrival_."

Picard missed Data.

Data had died eight years ago saving Picard at the cost of his life.

Picard missed his remaining _Enterprise_ family, and perhaps, they can find it in their hearts to move on.

The captain and the commander along with Bones were stranded on a planet lacking their communicators. Picard was not worried. They always figured out the solution to the problem such as the experience on _Sigma Iotia II_ that was down on the record books regarding the encounters, what happened, the natives, the problem, the solutions, and the obstacles. Machine guns were heavily popular on the planet before Kirk and his crew came across it. But they are not facing a obstacle regarding _that_ planet. 

Instead.

Picard searched the files for the Romulan space craft. Surely, they must have uploaded the files to the  _Enterprise_. The computer screen was glowing a light shade of blue.  There were four dots in the shape of a falling star (at least that's how Picard would describe it) in a familiar shape he had seen before. There was a pop up on the screen that read "Please place your fingers on the dots to access security videos and logs." Picard placed his fingers on the screen then he saw images in his mind.

He was doing a mind meld.

Hm, interesting.

_"What do you mean we are going to use someone from the Nexus to get our plan rolling?" Came a rather confused male voice._

_"Logically, we must." Came a woman's voice. She spoke like a Vulcan._

_"T'Helen, this isn't one of our training exercises, isn't it?" Came a voice called 'Frederick' from Picard's earlier memories._

_"Negative." T'Helen said._

_"Then we shouldn't try to drag someone OUT OF THE NEXUS when we don't have all the data." Frederick said._

_"We have all the data and our chances of succeeding are 97.47% against 100%." T'Helen said._

_"There's a good chance we are going to fail."  Frederick said._

_"There is a probability we will succeed."  T'Helen said._

_The two walked into a dark lit red room where a Romulan male was standing at the consoles of the transporter. Two Romulans dressed in medical attire came to the transporter standing in front of the rounded transporter pad holding what seemed to be a body outline machine.  T'Helen looked over toward the transporter Romulans, her hands behind her back, then turned her head toward the transporter._

_"Energise the figure out." T'Helen said._

_The two medical Romulans placed the machine in the first circular part of the transporter pad then backed off. Shortly afterwards a pattern appeared taking on a human form complete with hands,ears, fingers,legs, and so on but the figure was clear as it was sizzling turning black and white. The two medical technicians rolled the machine off the transporter pad. Could it be they took his pattern out of the Nexus? What would his other half be doing in there? Likely enjoying the time he has with his lost brother and his family. Frederick had a frown on his face._

_"Doctor Frederick," T'Helen said. "You are the only one familiar to human biology due to your . . . heritage."_

_"Just because I grew up among humans as a half Romulan does not mean I am the kind who can vouch for human related activities," Frederick said. Ah, he was a doctor. "We don't know the hell he or she is. I do not enjoy not knowing my patient."_

_"The organic body is prepared, correct?" T'Helen said._

_The machine is wheeled out of the transporter room._

_"Yes." Frederik said._

_"Then we may find out who she or he is after  they are embedded." T'Helen said._

_The two  followed the wheeled machine. Frederick took out a medical tricorder scanning the pattern frozen in one location and did not seem to be aware of what was going on. It was almost like he were staring at a static version of a organic being.  The medical tricorder stopped working. Frederick grimaced shaking the item then smacked the side of the machine. The machine returned to its gentle red glow glowing against his face._

_"This pattern indicates the individual has recently died." Frederick said, lowering the tricorder.  
_

_"But there is a pattern, is there not?" T'Helen said, with a raised arched eyebrow.  
_

_"There is." Frederick said._

_"Then this pattern is not dead." T'Helen said, lowering her eyebrow.  
_

_"A pattern is a living thing,captain," Frederick said. "Using a dead pattern on a mission like this is very stupid."_

_"Get the body ready, Doctor Frederick." T'Helen said._

_"Captain, are you willing to risk your mission to fail?" Frederick asked.  "I have an oath to save lives, not end them! A dead pattern is very delicate than a living pattern. You are setting this mission to fail bringing a dead pattern from the fucking nexus!"_

_"I am not repeating myself,  Doctor Frederick." T'Helen said._

_"Just because  this dead pattern existed out of time does not mean it will work." Frederick said._

_Frederick was the first to the med bay then wheeled the humanoid that lacked any distinctive facial features. It was like a template. Frederick wheeled it into the observation room then placed the body using a human nurse to put the body on a bio bed. The nurse left the room. Frederick looked up toward the screen showing no life signs at the moment. The medical technicians wheeled the pattern machine into the room. Frederick grimaced in disgust then he went the room. The technicians inputted a code to allow the machine to open and let the pattern take a host. The technicians left the room._

_Frederick had his arms folded staring at the window with a frown._

_"If I get court martailed for working outside of the federation then I am taking you with me." Frederick said._

_"Illogical, as you have a solid alibi for your absence off the USS Triumvirate." T'Helen said._

_Frederick turned his head toward the Vulcan captain._

_"What is your part of this mission?" Frederick asked. You never told me specifically why my help is needed and why my advice is sound enough for a Vulcan who's doing something very fishy."_

_"I will speak of it," T'Helen said. "But I will tell . . . My best genetic engineers have bio engineered this body and this pattern. . . will do my planet justice."_

_"But he's dead."  Frederick said._

_"Who says?" T'Helen said. "The Narada was found freely floating in space."_

_"You are lying to me." Frederick said, with his eyes narrowed._

_"Affirmative." T'Helen said._

_"Why?" Frederick said._

_"You can't handle the truth Terran: what my mission is." T'Helen said._

_Frederick turned his head toward the screen to see the pattern floating over the body taking on its human shape then slid down into the body taking on familiar human body facial features. The sign of an adam's apple became evident to Frederick's eyes. Little white hair grew around the side of the head. The figure made an attire that was 2387 Star Fleet uniform. Suddenly the screens became acting sparracticcally. As in a mess and alarming. Frederick ran into the room calling for the nurse._

_The nurse came in with a large machine with a couple machinery._

_Then the body flatlined shortly after the first hypospray._

_"You are not dying on me!" Frederick said, taking out a pair of two machines shaped like a iron used to smooth out clothing on a board then applied it to the body's chest._

_Frederick looked over to the screen then bit his lip._

_"Again!" Frederick said._

_He applied the machine on Picard's chest._

**Beep. . beep. beep. . .**

_"How is the patient, Frederick?" T'Helen asked.  
_

_"His pulse is returning." Frederick said, as he handed the machine to the nurse.  
_

_"Good." T'Helen said.  
_

_Frederick looked over to T'Helen with a dubious look in his eyes._

_"You know, this feels weird bringing someone back to life who shouldn't be alive." Frederick said._

_"But you forget, he was still alive when we fetched him out of there." T'Helen said._

_"However, he wasn't REAL when we took him out of there," Frederick said. "Not until we gave him a template and a organic body to become entirely real."_

_"Echoes are capable of becoming real," T'Helen said. "It is nothing scary to fret about."_

_"Who is he, anyway?" Frederick asked._

_"I don't know but he may prove to be a useful asset to our mission." T'Helen looked down toward the recuperating human being._

_Frederick folded his arms._

_"Do you know who he is?" Frederick asked._

_T'Helen smiled._

_"We have programmed his body to respond to a certain name." T'Helen asked.  
_

_"And what is that?" Frederick asked._

_"Enterprise." T'Helen said._

_Picard saw his own eyes open._

"What in heavens name?" Picard took his hand off the screen, baffled.

Picard didn't remember anything about waking up.  Picard shut the screen down including the computer and then went to bed, this time, he did fall asleep and didn't find himself up at late typing away.


	5. The injured captain

"Damn  it, Jim!" Bones was dragging the unconscious man out of the line of bullet fire.

Spock was using the natives own weapon against the firing people.

"Stay with us, kid." Bones said, slumping Kirk's body against the rock and applied pressure to the wound.

Spock looked over, to see, to his horror that his captain had a wound on his chest and a hole in his shirt. It was illogical to feel panic for a Vulcan. But for a human? It was logical for a human to feel panic, fear, and concern for another person. The Vulcan fired back at a reflective surface making the natives  rush back for safety. Their communicators were confiscated by the natives and they only had a device, much like a walkie-talkie, that Spock believed could make communication with the _Enterprise_. They were in safety, for now, from their terrifying ordeal with the natives  who were getting close to warp drive. They hadn't become open yet to the idea of outer space beings visiting their land and interacting with them. It was foolish of their ensign security officer (who was a Girfekian) with six fingers, four pairs of eyes that were spiderlike, and curly hair along with scales on his perfectly Caucasian skin. He should have been left behind on the _Enterprise_.

"Spock to _Enterprise_." Spock said.

There was the sizzle of the older machine at the sound of Spock's voice.

"Spock, where have the three of you been?" Came Scotty's voice.  "We were about to send a landing party for you three."

"Beam us up, Mr Scott." Spock said.

"Kommander, there is only enough frequency to beam up one on this wave length," Came Chekov's voice. "If we tried to beam up more zhan one, zhen all zhree patterns would get intermixed and become one person.  Which is difficult to undo once it has been done."

"The kid's right."  Scotty agreed.

Spock looked over toward Bones and Kirk.

"Can splitting apart two patterns be possible?" Spock asked.

"Zhat is correct." Chekov's voice replied.

"Spock, you are not actually thinking of doing what I think you are _thinking_!" Bones said. "That's like throwing away your get away vehicle and leaving one of the people who drives it behind."

"Prepare two to beam up."  Spock said.

Bones eyes widened.

"Spock, I don't want to be merged with this kid!" Spock handed the walkie talkie to Bones.  "That is madne--"

Too late, Bones and the captain were beamed up.

* * *

"What planet is he on?" Picard asked.

"Ostraldal." Came Bones reply.

That planet.

Picard has been there before.

"Do they worship a god who's bald?" Picard inquired.

"Yes," Bones said. "But he isn't real."

Picard smiled.

"Today he is." Picard said, relieved.

Needless to say Picard had met them one hundred years into the future  when they developed warp drive. A civilization that had since invented the guns, the wheel, the air planes, the trucks, and so on. They had mistaken him for their godly being once before and then afterwards Picard proved to them that he was a mortal being not capable of doing what they believed through some logical solutions. Data had been there to help Picard prove a point, they also used a drug to make him seem dead, and they never ever visited the planet afterwards. They mistook his name for Peekard not Picard for some reason which didn't make sense. This civilization had their first starship up in the space that resulted in a problem.

It was simply a coincidence, Picard usually thought, that they recognized me as a long dead godly being.

Picard quickly got dressed into a dark uniform, complete with gloves that drew energy, and boots that stuck to the ground. It fit him like a glove. Perhaps their view of their godly being did not involve the same star fleet uniform from the late 2364 era because they didn't have that uniform. He went with a communicator, told Scotty he would be right back and to beam him down to the surface right where Spock was. Scotty at first had a look of disbelief at Picard's serious demeanor. The former captain boarded the transporter pad.

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

They all bowed down to him. Which was funny given Spock's stoic reaction. Afterwards, upon leaving the planet and returning back to the Enterprise, Spock approached Picard for a intellectual conversation.  He suspected that this man had more knowledge about what they may come across then he has letting on. Picard understood how it must be for godly like beings to be worshipped. Thrill,amusement, pride, and the fluffy feeling that stroked his ego. 

No, Picard reasoned, he shouldn't take advantage of that.

"How did you know what to say?" Spock said.

"I am from the future, Mr Spock," Picard replied. "I know their civilization."

"You met them." Spock said.

"Yes." Picard said.

"What starship are you a captain of?" Spock asked.

Picard raised an eyebrow.

"It depends on if you want to hear the name of it. Though, that would be spoiling as you will live to see it." Picard lowered his eyebrow. "Still interested?"

"Affirmative." Spock said.

"The USS _Enterprise-E_ ,1701."  Picard said.

"How many _Enterprise_ s were there?" Spock said.

"There will be seven," Picard said. "Archer's ship counts."

"Fascinating." Spock said.

"And I will not spoil any more knowledge about the _Enterprise_ , Mr Spock." Picard said.

"Yes, Picard. Wait . ." Spock began to realize. "Aren't you--" Spock started but Picard cut him off. 

"I died and came back in a alternate universe, Mr Spock," Picard said. "Just call me Picard. Consider my career as a captain over."

"Picard, do you want to fence sometime?" Came Sulu's voice.

Picard's eyes brightened.  Picard had fenced with a holoprogram version of Hikaru Sulu, Captain of the Excelsior, former helmsmen of the USS Enterprise, a number of occasions in his timeline. Now to actually do it with the legendary captain was rather honoring and a form of entertainment that would be a true privilege. 

"Why yes," Picard turned toward the Vulcan. "Nice talking with you, Mr Spock."

Picard followed after the helmsman down the hall leaving the curious Vulcan behind who was suspicious of Picard.


	6. To find

Picard realized shortly afterwards he had done.

But when he had left the ship for the final time (or so he thought) on a Federation planet that was colonized and had up to date technology. It hit him when he walked off the shuttle. It hit him what he had done last night. It had been a week since he had done a mind meld with a computer. He had hacked into the files, changed the navigation systems, and set a course that would be a noticeable change until they arrived in their destination. Picard couldn't go back. He had covered his tracks quite well.

Why did he do that?

What was T'Helen doing?

It became apparent to the human.

He had been used.

Now why?

* * *

"Hello, Mr Spock." Picard smiled, watching the screen with the very much alive Ambassador Spock.

The ambassador, needless to say, was stunned at first.

"Captain Picard, but how are you here?" The ambassador asked. "You should be in the Prime universe."

The Ambassador was puzzled raising a gray eyebrow.

"Mr Spock, I died, and then I came back thanks to a  Vulcan named T'Helen." Picard said.

". . . How?" The Ambassador said.

"I was in the nexus, as a 'dead pattern' then they put my pattern into a organic body and my pattern did the rest," Picard explained. "I was killed by Romulans before being beamed back to the ship."

"You were drawn to the Nexus after your death?"  The Ambassador was startled.

"It seems so." Picard nodded.

There was a light in the Ambassador's eyes.

 _Hope_.

"Captain," The Ambassador said. "My condolences for your loss. I have not known a Vulcan by the name of T'Helen in either reality."

"You do not need to call me captain, Ambassador," Picard said. "I am not the commanding officer of a ship anymore."

"How do you intend to get back?" The Ambassador asked.

"As I said; I am dead," Picard said. "To everyone, I am dead, and First Officer Webster is likely taking over the _Enterprise E._ . . Popping up on them would be quite 'useless' and a 'waste of time'." He put his hands together leaning back in the chair. "The only subject I am interested in is finding out this T'Helen."

The Ambassador paused.

"If I inquire her past, will that be of any help?" The Ambassador asked.

"That will be." Picard said.

The Ambassador looked at Picard with sadness in his eyes.

"I grieve with thee." The Ambassador said.

"Thank you," The words came out as a whisper. "I have been requested to be left on a Federation planet. I need time to adjust to this . . .new reality."

"I understand," The Ambassador said, pained as well. "It is a difficult adjustment." He raised up an eyebrow. "What about McCoy?"

"He died shortly after getting the news with his family." Picard said.

The Ambassador closed his eyes, troubled and saddened.

"He was a great friend of mine," The Ambassador opened his eyes. "Was he in Georgia?"

"He was," Picard said. "His family requested a small funeral unlike yours."

The Ambassador raised an eyebrow.

"Mine?" The Ambassador asked.

Picard smile.

"Now that is a good story." Picard said, and then he explained the details of the funeral in greater detail then he had to Kirk and Spock.

* * *

**. . . 2259. . .**

**. . .January 1st. . .**

"Mr Picard?" Came a squeaky voice.

"Yes?" Picard lowered his cup of ear gray tea as he sat in a lounging area.

"Do you have Vulcan ancestry?"  This was Thomas, a Vulcan hybrid between human and Vulcan. 

"No." Picard said.

"W. e. . well. ." Thomas played with his hands, shyly.  "Last year I was taking samples of everyone's DNA for a mathamatical problem about how many species reside in this living complex," Picard raised an eyebrow. "I wanted to know from you, personally, before I told you anything." Thomas looked up. "You have the DNA of a Vulcan and you look so human. The DNA is not enough to give your the physiology of a Vulcan or the ears. Just enough for it to be in your genetic make up that is mostly human. Though I wouldn't be surprised if you were capable of doing mind melds."

Picard put the tea cup to the side.

"Did my DNA match any Vulcan DNA?" Picard asked.

"I didn't do a DNA match," Thomas said. "All I did was a DNA specific marker test."

Picard smiled.

"No matter," Picard said. "You have just helped me, Thomas. Thank you."

Thomas grinned.

Then Picard took the padd which had information. Information that he had been compiling with the help of the Ambassador. This T'Helen Vulcan was a mysterious figure. The doctor, though, was easy to find. He was apart of a ship that was coming close to the planet and have shore leave  (or so the schedule said) for a couple days. The doctor might be in his med bay (Picard still found it a throw off that they didn't name it sick bay, he has known that room for so long under a different name) rather than going down to the surface.  How would he get aboard the _Triumvirate?_ The Ambassador's help ended there on the knowledge that he pasted on the device. The Vulcan was up to speed with machines than  Picard was. It took almost a year for him to be adjusted to the browser bars, log in, constantly adjusting his eyes to the screen that showed a unique page lay out,and it displayed holographic images. Now, this timeline was way ahead of the one Picard had come from. How come the old Vulcan could easily overcome technology and Picard was staggering behind?

Because the Ambassador has more patience than he, obviously.

The  _Triumvirate_ would be here in two days.

If the doctor won't tell him, then Picard would have to do the most immoral option.

A forced mind meld.

Or a threat.

Something other than a forced mind meld.

 


	7. Suffering

The day of the _Triumvirate_ 's arrival, Ambassador Spock was assassinated by a Vulcan. A female Vulcan. Her image was going everywhere from the news thanks to a sketch artists picture using the minds of both Spock and Captain Kirk. It was a sad day. A day that followed by it raining on the planet Picard was on. He went through the report that was very detail (As it was written by Spock) leading up to the fetal incident.  Picard closed his eyes, fighting back the urge to toss the pad out of the window. You can't cheat death twice and not expect survival afterwards.

_"Captain, why do we need to go to the surface?" Spock asked._

_"Because it is Ambassador you," Jim replied. "Besides, you never know what he has to say."_

_"You keep talking about Khan as though he is a threat." Spock said.  
_

_"Khan who?" Jim asked._

_"You have talked to me numerous occasions about Khan. How these memories indicate he must not be trusted." Spock said._

_"I don't remember." Jim said._

_The Vulcan tilted his head, hands behind his back, raising an arched eyebrow up._

_"Seriously!" Jim said._

_Spock straightened his head and lowered his eyebrow._

_"Hm, interesting, you are not lying." Spock said._

_"Course, I am not!" Jim said, as they boarded the transporter. "Energize."_

_The commander and the captain were beamed down to the surface on New Vulcan. The two saw that the  Ambassador was coming with a small crowd of people. He was shaking his head, furrowing a brow, then he abruptly stopped seeing the two. His annoyed state turned into a happy one. It was odd to see a  Vulcan smile at the presence of them. Jim couldn't shake it off. It was still off. Jim had a smile back then he approached the Ambassador with Spock in tow.  
_

_A few of the people dissipated from the crowd and walked away, apparently some were some students who were learning from him. One woman, however, remained, at the far back.  
_

_The Ambassador approached Spock and Jim._

_"Hello, Captain, Commander," The Ambassador said. "What brings you down here?"_

_"The captain wanted to make your walk shorter." Spock replied._

_"That is illogical, the traveling distance I have gone took me precise one hour and thirty two minutes, getting over to the landing pad would have taken fifteen minutes, and . . . As you seem concerned, Captain," The Ambassador said. "Tell me before I need to ask myself about your ongoing 'issues'. It is only logical that you would come here for the side effects of the mind meld. Were the emotional transference too great?"_

_"I don't remember talking about some conversations I have been having. It's like. . . gaps in the memory. Black outs."_

_"He claims to not remember Khan or about accepting my request to play chess."_

_"Have you done mind melds?"_

_"No."_

_"You should do it when you have the time. You two should likely do it as your synaptic nerves are repaired. Someone had a forced mind meld with you."_

_"I don't remember a force mind meld."_

_Spock's eyes widened._

_"That is not possible," Spock said. "I would know."_

_"Side effects of a force mind meld involve loss of memory and random emotional out bursts." The Ambassador said._

_"He has been crying and often times laughing randomly." Spock said, his eyes returning to their usual width._

_"Hey, no I haven't!" Jim said._

_"Since you were there in those instances, Commander, you should do it for the sake of the crew." The Ambassador said, as Jim flipped out his communicator._

_"Scotty," Jim said. "Three to. . ."_

_And then there was the sound of phaser blasts. One moment the Ambassador was standing  up.  The next moment he had fallen to the ground. A wordless scream came from Jim's mouth as the figure turned away then fled into the crowded street. Jim ran after the figure closing the communicator taking  out his phaser. His face was twisted in rage, dear god, utter rage. Spock had come to the side of the dying Vulcan noticing he was bleeding specifically where his heart had been.  Spock had put his fingers in the respective places of the elder Ambassador's face. He saw warm images, felt comfort, and satisfaction.  He watched the older version of himself feel relieved.  
_

_He was not paying attention to the pain._

_"Jim . . ."  The Ambassador said. "Leonard."  
_

_Spock could see the images of two men staring back looming over. One man was in blue scrubs that had sleeves ending at the elbow with his arms folded and a grin on his face. There was a younger man who somewhat resembled Kirk, minus the mature face and golden classic look about him tied to a nostalgic feeling. The Kirk look alike held his hand out in the direction of the view. Spock channeled in a 'Go' emotion to the passing Ambassador. He could feel the katra leaving the body of the older counterpart. Spock saw a youthful long hand extend toward the one held out by the Kirk counterpart._

_"You know, we've been searching you all over the place," The man in blue scrubs said. "I didn't think you were in_ another _universe! Sheesh, you make Genesis look like cake!"  
_

_"We found you,again, old friend." Came the younger man with a reassuring smile._

_Spock let go watching the life fade out of the elder's face who had a smile._

_A warm, happy smile._

_Spock closed the eyes of the ambassador._

_"Rest in peace." Spock said._

_It was illogical to cry. He wasn't the one who died. Yet here was Spock the one crying. It became obvious that he had seen the two versions of his counterpart in their prime, Leonard McCoy and James Kirk. Spock wiped  the tears off his cheek.  Kirk came to a dead end, then he lowered the phaser down into its holster then turned back and returned back to Spock. Five minutes later he came to a stoic, calm and composed Vulcan looking down toward the elder. Spock coldly looked up in the direction of the captain. The captain seemed to be in distress._

_"'He's dead, captain." Spock said._

_"Was he in pain? . . ." Jim said._

_"He was at peace." Spock replied._

Picard's hand smacked against the table.

He had recognized the image of T'Helen, crystal clear,as he had seen her in the mind meld.

"I am going to make her pay for that." Picard said.


	8. T'Helen

T'Helen had boarded the _Enterprise_ nine months after Picard left, she learned the where-abouts of 'Ambassador Selek' who wasn't a cousin of the First Officer. They had a awfully startling family resemblance. _His fault_. _His_ _fault_. _His fault._ She had heard of a story long ago that Selek was in fact a future version of Officer Spock about one hundred fifty-nine. He was the reason why Nero came and destroyed Vulcan. The story sounded too plausible to be fictional. She had to gain trust with the captain.

And she did.

 _His fault_. _His fault_. _His fault_.

She was right.

 _His faul_ t. _His fault_. _His fault._

And to be sure, she did a mind meld with the poor captain. Her fingers pressed along the side of his head. She saw the the story that the ambassador had explained. She was pissed. Her entire family died on that planet and here she was, the only survivor of her clan. T'Helen Sch'Frual. She made a mess in Jim's mind breaking down several barriers, leaving a cruel mess in her wake, all because of that emotional rage.

 _HIS FAULT_. _HIS FAULT_. _HIS FAULT_.

 _HIS FAULT_. _HIS FAULT_. _HIS FAULT_.

And then T'Helen made Jim forget the whole encounter slipping him down into his chair in his quarters. She was too pissed to undo the damage she had done to the man's mind. Jim started acting strangely afterwards. She pretended not to notice the strangeness. Spock raised an eyebrow at his captain, quizzically, glaring at his direction. She got off the ship through the transporter once her ride had come. She had it all coming together except for the last piece of evidence. The one who allowed her access to the _Enterprise_ and to conveniently pick her up during the travels. She had bided her time. She wanted to make him pay dearly. She waned to be alone with him and then hold that phaser and press that _damn_ trigger.

T'Helen could kill the Star Fleet Officer.

But that would draw attention to herself.

She wanted the Ambassador in _pain_.

Lethal.

Fatal.

 _Pain_.

The same pain she was in when her world and everything with it was destroyed.

She met the old fool and pretended to be interested in what he had to say. Which turned out to be much easier in her mission. She felt justice pressing that trigger. She felt vengeance was sweet when the older Vulcan was falling only to be caught by his counterpart. She saw a pissed off facial expression that was coming from a 'NO!' horrified facial expression. The scream sounded a lot like 'No!' from the young man who turned his attention straight in her direction. She turned away and fled into the street. She heard the man tailing in her direction. She took out her communicator then shouted the name, "Serek!", someone who had the same agenda as she did.

T'Helen vanished in a haze of golden lights and Jim Kirk went passed where she had stood.

"How was the mission?" Serek asked.

"A smashing success," T'Helen said, getting off the transporter pad.  "We must leave Federation Space. I am about to be a wanted Vulcan."


	9. How to frighten information out

Frederick was afraid. Deathily afraid. Picard had approached the man in his office. Frederick attempted to flee but Picard stood in his way then applied the Vulcan nerve pinch to the man's shoulder. He placed the man into his chair, turned on the chair binds, and applied a hypospray to wake the man up. Frederick's eyes were wide open staring at Picard and sweat came down the doctor's face.

"Hello, Doctor Federick." Picard said, his arms folded, sitting down in a chair.

"You . . . You shouldn't have known." Frederick said.

"You are only fortunate that I deleted the video security logs off the Romulan craft you stole," Picard said. "I do not intend in ruining my own future." The doctor's eyes widened. "I am a Picard. From the future.  Heir to the Picard family winery. And you will refer to me as Picard not any other name you know me by. Do you understand?"

Frederick nodded.

"What do you need to know?" Frederick said.

Picard narrowed his eyes.

"The whereabouts of T'Helen." Picard said.

Frederick gulped, and then he started spilling the information.


	10. T'Helen's misery begins

T'Helen's Vulcan craft was attacked in her maiden flight to a planet in the neutral zone. She was attacked by what was apparently by a rogue shuttle craft that battered her starship. She managed to make a quick get away on the planet Qo'nos and her crew hid there in disguise wearing cloaks. Picard? Picard was stubborn on taking her back to the federation to stand trial for her crime. He had federation credits saved up from doing work on the planet he had been on for so long. There was no form of money in the federation in Picard's time.

Picard stepped out of his shuttle craft with Klingons surrounding his ship.

The first one, likely the captain of the security perimeter, stepped forward with a scowl on his face and spoke in Klingonese.

"I do not speak Klingon," Picard said. "You sound rather familiar. Have we met before?"

The Klingon took his helmet off, and those eyes, damn those eyes reminded him of his former Lieutenant Worf, Son of Mogh. His eyebrows raised up, this had to be his great great grandfather.

"I have never met the likes of a bald Terran." The leading Klingon said.

And quite honest.

"My name is Picard." Picard said.

"Peekard?" The leading Klingon said.

"Yes," Picard said, as he nodded. "I am here to find a couple Vulcans," Their long sleek unheard of phaser rifles were inches away from his ears. "They have no honor as they have slain a elder without a fight. His name was Ambassador Selek, the leader of the resurrection of the Vulcan race."

"Lower your phasers," The leading Klingon said,  forcing one of the Klingons to lower their weapons with his hand. "My name is Captain Jakof, son of Rof, and you, son of man, may be specific on how he was slain."

"He was slain standing, just like I," Picard said. "Talking, completely unaware, and he died on the sands of New Vulcan." The Klingons were staring at Picard. "His assassin is named T'Helen," He took out a pad from his pocket making the Klingons anxious. "This is what she looks like,"  Picard handed it to Jakof. "And I strongly recommend that she brought alive. She needs to be tried for her crime. I would like to be the one who takes her back to the federation. Your actions will bring your families honor."

Jakof raised an eyebrow.

"How have we not met?" Jakof asked. "You talk as though you have met a Klingon and served with one."

"There is  no honor in retreating in a fight you can fight against." Picard said.

"That is correct," Jakof said, his eyes glowing in amusement. "Who is this Klingon you served with?"

"His . . . His name was Worf."  Picard said.

Jakof looked down toward the picture of T'Helen then back to Picard.

"You bring honor to the name of Worf with this honesty," Jakof said. "He sounds like a warrior to be reckoned with. I will name my first son after him." He looked over to the other Klingons then had a short nod. "You must stay here," Jakof pointed to the shuttle. "We will return after our search of your dishonorable criminal."

Picard remembered there being a file where Colonel Worf defended Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy on trial. It then occurred to him that he was making a boot leg paradox by being the one to drop the name 'Worf', one that would lead to his tactile/security officer. Worf would be stunned at the very least to hear his captain had met his great great grandfather. There were some family resemblance.

Picard nodded.

"I will not cause any harm or disruption to Kronos,"  Picard said. "I give you my word."

Shortly afterwards, Jakof left with the padd and his Klingons. Picard returned to the shuttle, where the door closed behind him, and all that was left was a waiting game. He had a beeping coming from the hailing frequency. Picard was surprised, why be contacted now? After all, no one would contact him except for--. . . It had to be Kirk. That was the only logical solution to this hailing.

Picard answered.

"Hello, captain." Picard greeted the young man who was slouched in his chair.

Definite back problems for Kirk if he kept sitting in the chair like that.

"I am sorry for the loss of your friend." Kirk said.

Picard nodded.

"He was a great loss." Picard said.

"Someone told me you were heading to Qo'nos," Kirk said. "I expected you to be dead right now."

Picard had a small smile.

"It is all taken care of," Picard said. "I am not there. I am simply . . . on a asteroid."

Kirk appeared to be puzzled.

"Why?" Kirk asked.

Picard sighed.

"I had some . . . thinking to do," Picard lied. "Captain, if there was anything I could have done to help you with the search for the culprit, I would have done it at a heartbeat."

"We got  no leads so far," Kirk said, going through his hair. "All we got is that she lost her family on Vulcan and her mate Serek survived the ordeal. Lately he has been missing." He put his hands on the arm rest. "Which is suspicious since he had been active being a Klingon translator to a science vessel and he just vanished out of the blue prior to the assassination."

"Perhaps they are both on the run," Picard suggested. "I am still in mourning for the loss of my friend. Thank you for the consolation, captain." He noticed Kirk was not at the bridge so that meant he had been doing this in his quarters for this communication. Advanced technology was much different here. "Perhaps you will get lucky finding the Vulcan responsible."

Kirk snorted.

"If we ever do." Kirk said.

"I have a feeling you will," Picard said. "Picard out."

The screen turned black.


	11. T'Helen's misery is here

Four hours afterwards, T'Helen and Serek's crew were all killed by the Klingons in a fire fight.  They came out with their arms in the air and the look of anguish on the Klingons faces were unique.  The two Vulcans were cuffed, behind their back, and they were denounced for an unhonorable assassination. Perhaps even condemned for it. The Klingons made references to their sweet hell saying it would be a far more justified punishment but they settled for the most 'legal' and 'honor stripping one' that affected the futures of the Vulcans.

How were they found?

Who was this stubborn to enlist the help of the Klingons?

Why?

"Who reasoned you to bring us?" T'Helen said.

"A honorable man," Jakof replied. "One who seeks justice."

"This could mean either Officer Spock or Captain Kirk," Serek said. "It is logically  Captain Kirk."

"Silence!" Jakof shouted, making then go white. "You do speak with honor on the ground of Qo'nos."

They were pretty silent for the rest of the walk to a designated area. It was illogical to feel afraid. It was illogical to hear the heart pump against her chest. It was illogical to sweat under the circumstance that there wasn't a sufficent cause. It was illogical to fear that Officer Spock would want a word with her. It was illogical to feel any of the feelings associated to fear.

Jakof knocked on the door to the shuttle.

The shuttle door opened one minute afterwards to reveal the much alive man T'Helen had believed died. Her eyes widened. Something had gone wrong in the organic body, but that was impossible, as her plan had gone smoothly into shape. He had a couple stasis cuffs in his hands glaring at her direction. He stepped aside allowing the Klingons to force the two  Vulcans aboard followed by immediate cuffing on their wrists by the machine.

"Live a long and honorable life." Picard said.

"As do you, Peekard of Earth." Jakof said.

The two Vukcans were sitting down on a bench as the door closed.

Picard turned toward the two Vulcans.

"If you want your mission to stay a secret and my arrival into this universe as well, then you follow this lie to the tea," Picard said. "I am a former captain you brought back to life."

" _Enterprise_." T'Helen said,afraid.

"And that won't work on me," Picard said. "That can only work for so long, T'Helen." He paced back and forth. "I do not want to be a suspect in the death of my old friend, what you did was illegal! IMMORAL! You should have left me there inside the Nexus and allowed me to pass through it into the afterlife," Picard tapped on the side of his head. "I remember where I was going, I was visiting Kirk's echo before I left to the other plane." He lowered his hand. "If everyone knows that I was part of it . . . History will be a mess."

"You are saying you are from the future." Serek said.

"Yes." Picard said.

"That is unexpected." Serek noted.

"You . . . You . . ." T'Helen started to say.

"And if anyone knows what you did, they will try to replicate it," Picard said. "And you do not want that as much as I do."

"Correct." T'Helen said.

"Lies are easily forgotten." Serek said.

"You won't forget this one." Picard said.

 


	12. Hello, old friend

**. . . Two weeks later . .**

"Mr Picard."

"Hello, Mr Spock."

"We have come across this entity you have referred to."

Picard raised an eyebrow, lowering his cup of earl gray tea.

"Which one?" Picard asked.

"Q." Spock said.

"Oh, him," Picard said, noticing Spock was in the captain's chair. "Where is the captain?"

"Q has done away with him," Spock said. "And I suspect he is still alive. I have held off informing his mother regarding the sudden disappearance." Picard sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Has this ever happened to you?"

"To me? No," Picard said. "To my crew, yes."

The Vulcan raised up an eyebrow.

"How did you defeat him in this game?" Spock asked.

"Riker turned down Q's offer." Picard said.

"Q made no offer," Spock said. "Q has vanished along with the captain exactly fifteen hours, thirty two minutes, and three seconds ago."

"Did he mention going anywhere?"  Picard asked.

"He mentioned going to a cold planet," Spock said. "Somewhere close, somewhere close to a civilization is colder than humans, and we have searched the area for that exact planet."

It sounded like a riddle when Spock had said it.

A rather easy riddle.

Perhaps Spock wasn't looking at the right place.

"I believe I know where he is," Picard said. "Though, I prefer doing it on my own . . . I don't want to give you a empty lead."

* * *

One minute he was on the bridge with Spock and his crew, including that entity talking about 'potentially' going after he played a game. The next there was a white flash. Jim found himself laid on the ground on his side. His head hurt, with a hard throb. He could smell smoke. Where was the smoke coming from? He got up  feeling wibbly-wobbly and trembling, perhaps if not unable to balance himself.  He saw the familiar shape of a man  dragging out what seemed to be a stasis pod out of the wreckage.

Wait.

Wreckage.

Jim ran in the direction of the man, his hands curled up into a fist, and he lunged at the man. Q dodged Jim's strike then flipped him over on the ground pining the young captain down with a scowl on his face. Q had a bruise on the side of his face. Two scars cutting through his eyebrows making it seem that he had in fact four eyebrows. He didn't seem to be in the lightest of all moods staring back at the young man with threatening, desperate, fearful and intimidating eyes all making different impressions at once.

There was something surreal about Q bleeding.

Too realistic.

"One," Q said. "This is not your ship. Two," He looked over to the pod then back to Jim. "You are one lucky mortal. I am still immortal but I don't have my power," He hunched his eyebrows back at the young man. "We are one thousand two hundred fifty-nine years back in the past. We were aboard the ancient's starships, you won't remember as it is very traumatic to you and they did a forceful mind meld to discover who you were. Relatives of Vulcans always make a bad impression in the beginning with newcomers in a obsolete world." Q stood up. "And you are not going to argue with me. You are going to be in that stasis pod for the duration of those thousand years, Captain Kirk!"

Jim turned away and got up on his two feet.

"No!" Jim said. "I won't believe you."

Q briefly closed his eyes.

"I can't believe they took you with me," Q said, then he turned toward Jim with  a look of disapproval. "Believe me or not but that head of yours needs medical attention. Now  I have to sort through the wreckage for a med kit and you better not wonder off into the forest," Q pointed in the forest. "In a thousand years this planet will become inhabited by the Romulans." Q turned away then headed in the direction of the wreckage. "And I am going to make sure history draws your friends here."

He heard Jim run in the direction of the forest.

"Oh, you idiot," Q said, pinching the bridge of his nose.  "Just forget it,Q," He saw the bodies of those traveling ancestors who populated planets. They were human like but not that much, really, they had flat noses like Voldemort from Harry Potter. Their skin were white as humanities were. It was a shame really that Q's society and continuum came from them. Them. Them. Them fools. "They should have believed me when I said I was their end product of evolving from their inferior vessels."

Q eventually recovered a entire med bay and repaired it from scratch.

He preferred the word 'sick bay'. 

So he used what paint he could make on the doorway and labled it as 'sick bay'. He did the construction near a cave entrance and making it 'home' took considerable time. When he had enough parts of the sick bay assembled and the medical kit prepared to be used, Q went on his search for the stubborn human. He liked the original captain better, there was something . . . golden and socialiable about the man. He had all the right intentions and he preached friendship and peace throughout the galaxy including freedom. If he had a TV then he would subscribe to the Kirk Preaching Channel and watch the many times the staccato preaching went Q at one point did that but a member of the  Q continuum had to screw up and make a misunderstanding with the Klingons and Vulcans, taking his attention away.

Q found Kirk on the ground, shirt torn open, scar on his chest, face down, unconscious.

Q had a heavy sigh.

"What a shame," Q said. "I seriously did not want to be the one carrying you. Oh, well, that's what happens for a human who thinks so inferiorly."

Q picked up the young man into his arms and returned to the site.

* * *

  _"Q, YOU HAVE BROKEN THE RULES."_

_"I know the rules and I have not broken them." Q said, with a frown._

_"NO MATTER. YOU WILL SPEND A THOUSAND YEARS AS A IMMORTAL."_

_"Hold up, why am I here?" Kirk said._

_"SILENCE. YOU ARE THE ONE TO REMIND Q HOW LIFE IS SHORT."_

_"No, he can't die because of me!" Q's attitude changed. "Put him back! Please! PUT HIM BACK!"_

_"WE DARE YOU TO PROTECT ONE HUMAN LIFE OVER THE LIVES OF OTHERS."_

_"A human can't live for a thousand years!" Q said. "You know how he easily gets hurt! I mean, come on, he's like a self guided laser pointer heading down to self destruction!"_

_"Your punishment begins right now."_

_"No--" Q started to say, and then they vanished._

Q looked over his shoulder to the young man in the pod.

"This is going to be a very long time." Q muttered to himself, sadly.

Q got back up then exited the medical room and into the cave structure. He had to salvage every piece in order to preserve the future. He brought the technology into the wide and passage filled cave. It took some time but making it turn into home, one that mortals valued dearly, turned out to be easy. He couldn't starve himself to death because immortal means you don't die. So he lived by hunting down the living animals, made himself new boots when winter came. He stocked up the meat in a part of the cave that acted as a freezer,and he gathered a plenthora of sticks, sharp rocks, and decoration was necessary. Q would often find himself go into the sick bay,tempted, just tempted, to open the pod. There was only one pod in the wreckage.

When Q's fingers barely met the consoles, the immortal yanked his hand back.

He wiped the fog off to see the young, youthful face with closed peaceful eyes.

And one day.

There was the Romulans.

"Your home. . . is so. . . sufficient." Came T'Fren's comment.

"I hunted down that big bison using the surroundings," Q noted, pointing to the Bison skull on the wall. "It was fun!"

"Fun as in entertaining?" T'Fren asked.

"Yes." Q asked

"What's down here?" Came Sarun's comment from down one passageway. "Sick Bay?"

Q heard the woosh of the doors.

Q was faster on his feet than he had been in ages. The  Romulans, at that point, looked exactly like Vulcans except they lacked the V part of their forehead. They hadn't gotten it quite yet. The white-blue room stood out to the Romulan.  He was over the pod rubbing the fog part off to see his first human. He was able to take in the full  lack of pointy eared and elevated eyebrow aspect when Q grabbed him by the shoulder and kicked them out of his home.

"I thought . . . I saw . . " Sarun said.

"What did you see?" T'Fren asked.

"I saw something other than a Vulcan in that cave," Sarun said. "He looked nothing like a  Vulcan."

T'Fren raised her eyebrows.

"Fascinating." T'Fren said.

* * *

When Jim's eyes opened, he was staring at a ceiling and he felt stiff.  Like he had been laying down for a awfully long time. He heard voices, one of which sounded like a familiar voice. Jim pushed himself upwards using his arms as his support.  He saw a familiar bald man speaking to a Romulan male with the v shaped forehead. The bald man was Picard. Jean-Luc Picard surrounded by security guards.

"I had every right to wake him up," Picard said. "This is Captain James T. Kirk!"

"But he is in the federation space." Came the Romulan's reply.

"No, he is right over there," Picard said pointing over to Jim. "Nice to see you again,captain."

 _"We are one thousand two hundred fifty-nine years back in the past!"_ Jim recalled.

Oh god.

Q was right.

"One thousand years . . ." Jim said, with a gasp.

Jim fell out of the pod.

Q was outside of the museum. He had timed it perfectly, leaving evidence in history. He had a thousand years to think about this, every word he last spoke around the  Enterprise crew, and what his intentions were. He has spawned a family tree consisting of Romulans. T'Fren had gone back for him even after he kicked her brother out. She was interested about him, and so, Q spent the rest of the better two centuries telling her a lifestory spanning billions of years starting from the moment the universe began.

She was a fling.

A good friend.

Perhaps even more than that.

And he brought her into the med bay one day to see what the future could be one day. A future that she would never be able to live in. Her arms wrapped around his neck. Her Vulcan hands tracing his back,his face,and his fingers tracing her shoulders. The scars she had from violence with Vulcans prior. He loved anyone regardless of their gender. When she touched his mind, Q could feel a mind, a familiar mind, from T'Fren. She was stubborn, she had some morals of her own, and she embraced her emotions to a certain degree.  Q watched T'Fren die in his arms and her spirit leave the plane but not before severing their bond. 

" _I . . . love. . . . you,  ashayam._ "

" _I-I--"_ He forced back the frightened words. Her last moments. He had say it with confidence and sincere. _"I love you, too."_

" _I will find you._ "

Never had Q cried that much afterwards.

Q turned away from the building entrance then walked down the passage way past some Romulans. None of his current modern day Romulan descendants even had his face, his voice, those ears, that scowl, or anything for that matter. He had raised his first generation away from the cave he called home and waited two centuries to return. He had used some material to make it seem that he was aging. Dyed his hair white. He slipped out of their life one day when they were old and they were grandparents themselves. Q returned to the cave, unblocked it, and from there he decide it was about time to make some history. At least after his sons had died.

Q bided his time.

And then he came out into the open after they died. One day they attempted to reach the sick bay so he blew the cave up for Jim's well being. And then centuries later they began to clean up the ruins. It served as a space pirate base for  a matter of time, a hospital, a morgue, a hospital, and then it became what it was today. He kept an eye out for intruders into the ruins though the security officers would drag them out by the ears afterwards. Q believed he was safe for so long until . . . He had to come back. He had left clues on Delta Vega in the caves and one in the nearby base.

Yet, Q was still hindered.

He was a powerless immortal.

And Q assumed all along that Spock would search in all the right places.

Today, he believed that Jim would be awaken by the right person.

And he did not have the slightest idea of who.

* * *

 Whenever Q visited his ship Picard had a strange feeling.

It usually started off by a bad day starting to occur or something not sitting right with the captain.

Today, he is having one of those strange gut feelings that is quite literately guiding him. Jim also noticed that he had been put into a coat of fur and he still had on jeans. The scar Jim had received on his chest had long ago healed. Jim slowly regained memories of what had happened on the ship as he walked out of the Romulan museum. It was mostly his fault for getting the ship to crash landing. Q was the bystander who was horrified by what mistake the human had done.

Jim noticed that Picard was going in a different direction.

"Picard?" Jim called.

Picard disappeared in the crowd.

"Picard!" Jim called out, again.

Jim caught sight of  a bald head in the crowd. It was confusing and startling to why he had suddenly without comment headed in a different direction. Picard had previously told Jim what he had to go through to find him, and let Spock and the crew continue the search. Two months of extensive search. Picard apparently was drawn here for some weird reason and the entry way was blocked off by a security system that had suddenly broken down when Picard arrived. Picard made a straight B-line into a abandoned house that once had been a restaurant of some form that clearly had a table. Jim went into the building to see, Q, cornered, by a man. It was kind of straightly odd to see a fully grown man cornered by a man twice his senior. Jim had heard the words, "I found you."

"How long?" Picard was looking at the entity in the eyes.

It occurred to Jim, that these two shared something that might have been as close that Spock Prime had with his Jim.  There was something that just clicked between them. Q was Picard's foil. And Picard was Q's foil. For some reason this entity reminded Jim of the one named Trelane. The one who he hadn't met yet. The one who he had recently discovered in the memories that Spock Prime had left behind. Trelane and Q were so similar yet so different by centuries apart.  Dare he say, could there be a friendship between these two?

Picard had talked about Q as though he were a threat.

Q had acted cooly, casual, and appeared on the bridge to draw attention to himself, exactly what a threat _would do_. Draw attention. Q gave more alarms by making Uhura vanish off the bridge then reappear covered in green slob and her pretty dark hair usually braided up was messed up. Spock had been outraged. Jim, thought, got in the way preventing him from going any further when Uhura had disappeared the first time around. Jim, in his best polite manner, requested that Q bring Lieutenant Uhura back to his damn ship.

Now seeing  Q this way, cornered against the wall, by a fully grown man was ridiculous.

"A million years,"  Q said. "Picard. . ." Q extended his hand out to the man's shoulder, he saw something, something that  Jim did not see. "Your body is dying, but not obviously, so I take it. . . You are to die in one week, two days, two hours, and thirty-two minutes. . ." His eyes dimmered. "I am so sorry."

"Don't say sorry to me," Picard said. "Say it to the man you took with!"

"I did that a long time ago," Q said,looking over to see that Jim was frozen in time. He looked over to Picard who was still moving unlike everyone else in the universe. He took his hand off Picard's shoulder. "Jean-Luc. . ." Q cleared his throat. "Time is frozen. Not my fault. I promise,I protest on the idea that is it little old me,I am powerless, _I swear_!" He shook his hands. "I have _nothing_ to do with it!"

Picard didn't seem to be convinced.

"Prove it."

"Mind meld, then."

"Q, you are not a Vulcan! Vulcan's are the one one capable of it."

"I have a feeling that you are one, Jean-Luc. You know how to do it. You have seen a Vulcan do it once and you have held the emotions of a Vulcan." Q had a serious look about his face. "Trust me when I say do a mind meld with me. You will see the truth, the complete truth, and you will know there are some parts of my past that are darker than before."

Picard put one hand on the side of Q's face and closed his eyes.

Q could hear the phrase in his mind, "My mind to your mind. My thoughts. . . to your thoughts." Q was curious, Picard had not been searching  for him for the entire duration of time that had passed for him, surely not. Q raised his free hand that wasn't in the way of Picard's hand. He did a mind meld of his own. It was a gentle one that was not forceful. He could feel the grasp of it. It was familiar. He had done a mind meld with T'Fren a long time ago . . . He couldn't believe it. His mind was brighter, and there was something about his soul. He had felt it. Touched it, even. Picard was his. . . _No_!

No!

 **NO**!

This wouldn't work out.

Just like how it did for T'Fren.

It would tear Q apart.

T'Fren.

_She was in his arms, crippled and old, her hair gray, and her eyebrows were gray pointed upwards. Her life was fading. She wanted to be in the arms she had cared about not confined to her bed to deal with her emotional disease that was troubling and could lead to death. She was calm and at ease with him, she was herself, she was happy. She lived with him. Those scars had long ago healed.  His hand cupped the side of her face._

_Her eyes lost the life._

_And Q cradled her against his chest as he cried.  
_

Q ended his mind meld with the captain as he relived that painful memory.

When T'Fren had ended their bond and she had died, it was like another half of him was torn away. It was like an ache. An ache that he had long ago ignored and chose to heal. He did a mind meld with Jim's unconscious body to repair the damage done by the alien species that had searched for answers. Q had repaired most of the damage if not all of it. Q's hand went down to his side. Picard took his hand off Q's face.

"You do have a heart." Picard said.

"No, I don't." Q denied.

Picard smiled.

"And you are denying it," Picard added. "A man who has been hurt so much . . . and lived so long? You've been bitter and living with a void in your life, Q, how come you never approached me?"

"I was given a challenge," Q said. "And there were some times I was gong to approach you, believe me, but . . ." He looked over to Jim. "The needs of the one outweigh the needs of the few."

"Kirk had a _entire_ security system protecting him."  Picard said.

"Who do you think suggested that?" Q reminded him. "I did." He pointed to his ears. "Do you notice the difference? I had surgery to blend into the society and . . . I let the surgeon do the rest of the work. And yet, you still _recognize_ me."

"Your face is very distinctive." Picard said.

"Hahahaha," Q faked his laughter. "Not convincing." The immortal man frowned. "You tell me the truth, Jean-Luc. I showed you my truth and now it is _your_ turn."

"I was drawn to you." Picard admitted.

"Drawn to me?" Q repeated.

"Yes."  Picard said.

" _Drawn_ to me?" Q emphasized,in shock.

"Yes, Q, I followed your trail." Picard said.

"I don't leave a trail." Q said.

"Tell me how long I have to live." Picard said.

"I already told you." Q said.

"Tell me again." Picard said.

"You are to die in one week, two days, two hours, and forty-three minutes." Q said.

"Q, I don't want to die with regrets." Picard said.

"You won't, you already lost them." Q said.

"No, I didn't. I lied." Picard said.

"Is this about you not losing your heart?" Q asked.

"No, Q, it is about you." Picard said.

Q was puzzled.

"Me?" Q gestured to himself. " _Me_?" He lowered his hand down. "Why _me_?"

"Because I love you." Picard found himself telling the former entity.

"Jumping from rivals to friends to lovers?" Q said. "I know I appear annually, but not _that_ often."

"Q, I died once believing I put my regrets to rest," Picard admitted. "But in reality I had not. Seeing you again. . . It reminded me why I visited Kirk in the Nexus twice."

"Speaking of him. . . I changed his fate in another Prime Universe," Q replied. "Spocks and yours, Kirk and Spock were together on their dying day in the year 2389 under the cost of . . . of. . . Delta Vega being destroyed instead." He lowered his head down toward the floor. "I couldn't prevent your death, the one that lead you here. It happened. You are still here."

Picard used his hand to lift Q's chin up.

"You did that all for me?" Picard asked, flattered.

"Yes," Q said. "To see the _Enterprise-J_ set sail--"

Picard was the one who initiated a kiss with Q. Q's hands rose, caught off guard, backing his elbows to the wall, and was the one to break the kiss. Picard stepped back allowing the man to catch his breath and composure. Q's face had turned pale, well, really, awfully white. He hadn't kissed another person in a good thousand two hundred plus years. Picard had a grin on his face which was contrary to the 'oh god, he does love me' expression on Q's face.

"I have waited to do that for thirty-seven years,Q." Picard said.

Q's face returned to its natural color.

"But he might start moving again and time will start passing again!" Q said. "We can't just make out here and have sex! Besides, this is IMPROPER!  _Improper sex_!"

Picard raised his eyebrow up,quizzically.

"Now that you mentioned it  . . ." Picard said, as a sly grin grew on his face.

Q looked down toward the dirt.

"Improper place to have sex."

Picard grabbed the man by the shoulders.

"Naturally Q," Picard said. "It is what makes sex enjoyable. We improvise."

Q was horrified.

"I hate improvisation."

"The hell you do not."

"Uh huh, I don't."

Q brought the captain into a kiss.  And well, it escalated from there. A passionate but lovely make out scene that turned into something more. Q discovered his partner, unlike what he mostly  believed, had in fact a Vulcan Genitalia. Green shaft covered by three long petals along with two tentacles.  These were called the fra'ls. They stimulated Q in such a way that was unusual but otherwise brilliant. More than that, really, if one had to ask a former Q. Oh god, it was fantastic to be the one on the other end of the pleasure stick in matter of speaking. Q's back met the wall with his captain in his arms.

Picard fell asleep in Q's arms.

"I promise," Q said, stroking the side of his captain's cheek. The petals covered Picard's genitalia. "I'll be there for the day you die. I will love you until the day I no longer exist. I will never leave your side until you have breathed the last breath, when your heart stops beating, when the last of the neurons fade from your brain, and where ever you  are. . . and who ever you are, I will love you no matter who you are/what you are/ and where you are. Even if I am not there. . ." Q paused, taking a sigh. "Foolish of me to tell a sleeping mortal." Q raised his head up looking over to the frozen in time Jim. "But who cares?" He turned his head back toward the sleeping frenchman. "It matters to _me_. Even if I am not there, I will always be by your side in spirit. I will live to meet you again, in the next life you lead, and I will cherish what time I have with you unlike how I denied it. No matter how you push me away and I push you away . . . We will meet again, and _we will be complete_."

* * *

 

Picard awoke to find himself in a chair, in his attire, to where he saw Q,looking at him with a grin and a glow about him.

"Might I ask if you were the one to dress me?"

"Uh huh."

"Q, you could have woke me up for that."

"Staring at Kirk and walking around the entire village got boring," Q said,pointing over his shoulder. "I am simply waiting for time to start again." Picard looked over to see Jim still frozen in the position he was in prior. "It has been one Q day. I made you Plomeek soup."  Picard looked over to see a dish with a bowl on the counter that smelled, awfully good. "Be a pal and tell me if it is too spicey. Hanging around Neelix can come with that effect."

"You met Neelix?" Picard asked.

"In my travels, I have," Q said. "And how do you intend to explain my . . . lack of Qness?"

"You are someone else," Picard said. "A great, great, great, great descendant of Q. A Romulan descendant."

Q grinned.

"I am not getting in for another surgery until you are dead," Q said, poking at Picard. "How do you suppose we explain it to Kirk?"

"You share a great likeness to Q," Picard said. "And that's why I chased you."

"Fantastic." Q said.

Picard took the Plomeek soup along with a spoon.

 **T--Thud**.

"Ow!" Came Jim's yelp.

And then the engines started, Q looked over toward the human sitting beside him. _I am the luckiest man alive_ , Q thought, _to be given a second chance with . . . with . . with . ._ . There was a word for this. A Vulcan word. There was a human word for this that equaled the Vulcan word. Picard may  not have the slanted eyebrows and the pointy ears, but here was his soulmate, his _T'hy'la_ so to speak. If he loses Picard again, then Q will return to his miserable life and go find his soulmate again. Q smiled as the shuttle lifted up.

"Hey, wasn't I just outside?" Came Jim. "And who the hell are you?"

Q grinned, looking over.

"The name is Jivek," Q introduced himself. "And your friend has asked for me to shuttle you to Federation Space."

Picard reached his free hand out to Q's hand and their fingers wrapped together.


	13. Resolution

There were the sounds of beeping.

Of course, Picard organs had started failing days after the return from Romulus.

Picard couldn't walk with the strength he usually commanded. There were random instances where he got dizzy. His vision turned dark with Q's face being the last he saw before he slipped to darkness and then seeing that concerned face standing by the biobed that was beeping was the only part of the scenery that brightened Picard's day. This time he wasn't going to die alone. Q held the hand of his most pestered captain in the entire galaxy who can stand him and live to talk about how Q saved lives just for him. Just to save his life. Q had the looks of a Romulan.

"I am here, _Mon capitaine_." Q said.

"Nice to see you haven't left me." Picard said, light heartedly.

"I wouldn't leave you if the continuum _ordered_ me!" Q said. "Nothing will ever, _ever_ , tear me away from you."

Q loosend his grip on Picard's hand.

"What have you been doing since I was out?" Picard asked.

"I ensured that the Botany Bay has not been discovered in this universe, not until a couple years," Q said. "I am assured they will go on their second five year mission . . . Admiral Marcus was stubborn on finding them but, BUT I hid their sleeper ship out in plain view behind a asteroid belt that would take even years to comb through." He grinned. It was currently in orbit around the planet Edan, a fabled planet said to be a myth and in the neutral zone. "I will do everything in my power to ensure this timeline will be similar to ours, Picard, painstakeningly."

Picard smiled.

"I find it hard to believe you are still Qless." Picard said.

Q rubbed Picard's hand.

"Not surprising for me," Q said."Jean-Luc . . .  You don't have much time left."

"I am happy with the time I have spent," Picard said. "I have no regrets."

Q had a sad expression about his face.

"You have an hour to live." Q lied.

Lie.

Picard had only a few minutes to live. Q was denying it to prove that Picard could bend reality to his own will and push on from the designated time that he had to leave this poorly engineered vessel.  Q wanted to believe that Picard would live for another hour. He was lucky that Picard awoke when he did. Q had sighed, out of relief, to see the man's eyes open. He hadn't left the man's side since they got back from Romulus and returned Jim.

Picard had a difficulty sighing.

"Is there a timeline where Data lived?" Picard asked.

"Of course," Q said. "At the cost of your life."

The old man briefly closed his eyes.

"Oh Data . . ." Picard said.

"Your roles were switched," Q said. "You were a android and Data was a human. They preferred to give you a full name and you insisted on Picard."

Picard smiled.

"Because I didn't like people calling me by my first name." Picard said.

"Yes." Q said.

"Q," Picard said. "Thank you."

"For what?" Q asked.

"For being here . . . with me . . ."  Picard said.

Q wiped off a tear.

"Jean-Luc," Q said. "There is some form of afterlife. I never told you, but . . ." The tears were coming down. "The _Enterprise_ crew of the 23rd century are out there, in a ghost ship, exploring. Whatever afterlife you prefer is the one you will be heading to," Picard squeezed Q's hand. "Or the one you least expect. Theoretically, you might find yourself on the bridge with Data and Natasha Yar. The bridge will theoretically be occupied once the others die. It will be waiting, sitting there, for her crew of one thousand. But I doubt there would be that many ghost _Enterprise_ s out there in the afterlife. . . It would be too crowded. Maybe you will actually go to heaven. Through that door. And everything about you being on the Ghost _Enterprise_ is a Q's fantasy."

"I see the light." Picard said.

 Q wiped off a tear.

"Then go, _mon capitaine_." Q said.

Picard turned his head toward Q.

His eyes lit up as he saw someone who wasn't there at the doorway.

"Data . . ." Picard muttered, and there the life vanished from his eyes.

Q closed the eyes of Picard as there was the wail of the machines and the heart beat on the bioscreen flatlined. Q lowered his head and his shoulders moved as he cried. Q felt a cold hand on his shoulder then squeeze their grip. He looked over to see no one was there. Q let go of the hand that had a pulse. Q at first thought he saw two ghostly figures standing at the doorway then they turned away and went out where they vanished into thin air. Q got up from the chair.

A nurse came into the room.

"I am so sorry for your loss." The nurse said.

Q's eyes went dry and he looked back toward the nurse with a grim facial expression.

"Don't be." Q said.

Q could feel his power return so he raised his hand up and snapped his fingers.

Q vanished in a white flash.

* * *

**. . . 2293. . .**

**. . . Enterprise B. . .**

"Nice to see you could come on the tour, Ambassador." The captain said.

There was a middle aged Vulcan who was considerably taller than the captain with his hands behind his back

"I wouldn't miss it if were not for Admiral Kirk's threat to not complete a chess game."  Spock replied.

The young captain laughed, shaking his head.

"We got all the photon torpedoes installed," The captain said. "Last minute addition . . . The admiral sure knows how to get his former first officer aboard a ship."

It was illogical to smile.

"It was a logical choice to install your photon torpedoes," Spock remarked. "You never know what may happen if you did not."

The captain nodded.

"You are right," The captain said. "Ambassador. . . but we don't expect any trouble."

"With the crew of the _Enterprise A_ ," Spock said. "You can expect some form of turbulence. We are almost a good luck charm for it."

If someone told Spock that thirty years ago he would not complete Kolinahr and instead: discover a being called V'ger, watch his friend die to save the _Enterprise_ to defeat Khan, spear head in the retrieval of his friends body because of complications that involved Kirk's lingering spirit possessing Uhura,saving the whales,get married to James T. Kirk, and aid in the negotiations of Klingon-Federation ties by preventing a assassination: Spock would have raised an eyebrow and said, " _Fascinating, now I know and it won't happen in the way you list it, logically._ "

A sixty year old Jim Kirk came out of the doorway soaked.

"My god, you have a in-door swimming pool," Jim said. "We didn't have that."

Spock raised an eyebrow at the younger captain.

"It was . .  . mandatory," The captain said, then he faked a cough into his hand.  "That is the holodeck."

"Fascinating," Spock said. "The first place you choose is a swimming pool."

"It says so on the label." Jim said, tapping on the barred plague that read 'holodeck'.

"Admiral. . ." Spock said. "Did you not bring your glasses?"

The captain was forcing back the temptation to laugh.

"I don't need them." Jim said

"You need them to read," Spock replied. "It says _holodeck_. Someone left a running holoprogram."

Jim frowned.

"Is there a place where I can dry off and get some dry clothes, captain?" Jim asked.

"Course we do," The captain said. "I am surprised no one told you, I will be your guide . . ."

* * *

  **. . . 2365. . .**

**. . . USS Enterprise D. . .**

"I have only heard read history books about Ambassador Spock and Admiral Kirk." Riker said.

"Admiral Kirk retired from Star Fleet in 2293 shortly after touring the _Enterprise B_ ," Data said. "They have met androids, who were unlike me, plenty of them and so, on the behalf of the future androids they meet who will be in Star Fleet, I will make a better impression."

"And how do you intend to do that, Mr Data?" Riker asked.

"By being me." Data replied.

Captain  Picard came into the transporter room. This was a occasion that wasn't so often. No one were blessed with the remaining two legendary figures Spock and Kirk. They were like a requirement for an _Enterprise_ to be walked through the corridors, toured, and then depart giving to make history. Miles slide the bar up.

Two figures appeared on the transporter pad.

Ambassador Spock was the first to appear, and then Jim. Jim's hair had turned a shade of brown and gray, not as much curly as it had been. Even for a one hundred plus year old man he still had the recognizable facial features. Jim had on a pair of glasses. Spock's hair was turning gray at the sides and he was still taller than the human. Jim's eyes caught sight of the android and then the Klingon and then to captain Picard.

"Hello, Captain Picard," Jim was the first one off the pad and extended his hand.

"Mr Kirk." Picard said, as they shook hands.

Jim had a glint in his eye.

"It is nice to see you again." Jim said.

"Pardon me?" Picard said, raising an eyebrow.  "I just met you."

The two stopped shaking hands.

"He is referring to another Picard who had some resemblance to you," Spock replied earning a 'but we did meet him forty some years ago!' look from the former admiral.  "We met him on our first five year mission."

Apparently Spock hadn't told Jim what Picard's role was in the future.

"This is my head of security and tatcile, Mr Worf," Picard introduced his team. "This is my first officer William Riker, and this is Lieutenant Commander Data."

"Hello,I am an android." Data said, his voice carrying no emotion.

"Fascinating," Spock said. "An android without emotions."

It was illogical to wish that Captain Picard had mentioned earlier about there being a android having what he did not. The inability to experience emotions.  But for some reason in those light yellow eyes he could see a human aspect: wonder and curiosity. Data was more human than he had believed. Spock raised an eyebrow. How could he be wrong about this? Spock just noted the android didn't have emotions. Perhaps Spock was just reflecting what he was feeling upon the android. No, well, maybe, _possibly_.

"Honor to meet you, Ambassador." Data replied.

 _Honey, mind telling me what I don't know?,_ Jim said.

 _Picard died forty years ago on a hospital bed_ , Spock replied.

"As to you, Mr Data." Spock replied.

 _And you didn't tell me?,_ Jim said sounding hurt in their bond.

 _Why grieve for someone who has not been born,_ Spock replied, _illogical to grieve for the future_. 

Now that you say that . . ., Jim started to say through their bond.

"Lieutenant Worf will take you two to your assigned quarters." Picard said.

"Thank you, captain." Jim said.

The crowd dispersed from the room. Spock walked slower than he had in the past, deliberate slow steps much like Jim. They were both taking in the appearances of the hallway, the crew members standing alongside the doorway engaged in conversations eerily like the halls of their Enterprise would be so long ago.  They seemed so out of date and out of place in the modern day era of Star Fleet. Jim was wearing a wedding ring and so was Spock. The Enterprise was taking them to  a meeting that involved Ambassador Spock.

"Do you happen to be named after Colonel Worf?" Jim asked.

"My grandfather was named after a associate of a terran with honor," Worf replied. "His name was Peekard."

"Actually," Jim said. "It was Jean-Luc Picard."

Worf turned their direction with a raised eyebrow.

"There is not another Picard in Star Fleet," Worf said, turning his head away. "My great-great grandfather Jakof insisted, as the story goes, that it was in fact spelled Peekard."

"Was he bald?" Spock asked.

"Yes, but that is not the point." Worf said.

"And your name is Worf." Jim said.

"That is not the point." Worf said, again.

"Should we tell him?"  Spock asked.

"Won't break any legs if we do." Jim sad.

The Klingon turned toward their direction with hunched eyebrows.

"Tell me what?" Worf said.

"We met an Alternate Universe version of your captain," Jim said. "And it appears he was _very_ fond of you. Makes sense how he got the assassin and her associate. He went to Qo'nos on a shuttle craft and  wasn't in a asteroid belt."

Worf sighed.

"Your quarters are down the hall," Worf said. "I do not understand your story and I do not seem to be able to understand your story at any time."

Spock and Jim shared a glance.

"He will." The two said at once.

Worf ended the guide to their quarters and left them into their new quarters for the time being. It was comfy and cozy, wide and homey, and they could see the stars out there staring right back. Jim, obviously, was the first one into the quarters with a beaming smile on his face. Spock was the one who followed shortly there after Jim went in. Jim plopped right onto the couch then he picked up a padd.

"How are we going to tell Picard about _this_?" Jim asked.

"That will be of some difficulty," Spock said. "Though if Q comes around, he can confirm it for us."

"Well, if he ever _does_ come around." Jim said.

"It has been half a hundred years since he lost his mate," Spock said. "He needed time to recuperate." He went over to the replicator. "Vulcan tea, hot." In a haze of blue appear a tea cup with a green kind of liquid with a little leaf dissolving into the contents. "A loss . . . of a mate is heart breaking."

"I didn't ask, but," Jim said. "How did you feel when I died?"

"Like I lost one half of myself," Spock replied.

"You know. . . Q kind of reminded me of that kid Trelane," Jim said, forcing himself upwards from the couch. "Do you believe they could be related?"

"That is a significant possibility," Spock said. "He was only on the ship for twenty-five minutes and thirteen seconds. In that time Q made a impression featuring Uhura being put somewhere she should not, Chekov's hair being changed to a football hair style, Doctor McCoy was given a left stone leg only temporary, Doctor  M'Benga be turned into a pet  toy poodle, Christine Chapel was dressed in Victorian attire, he made time freeze around us in the events that transpired while we were aware of what was going on around us, and his mannerisms were similar to Trelane. They had similar facial features which would be evidence to say that Trelane was indeed Q's son who has since dropped off the face of reality."

Jim grinned.

"I love it when you do that," Jim said. "So how long is the trip to the meeting?"

"Three days, two hours, and thirty-two minutes." Spock replied.

Jim put down the pad.

"You are a hundred thirty-five, Spock," Jim said. "Next year you are under going Pon Farr, and I expect this three day sex marathon to not be intruded by Ambassador duties, just for the two of us,besides," He leaned his elbow on the edge of the couch as Spock came over. "I love it when you are sexually hungry!"

Spock raised an arched eyebrow.

"The older I get, the rougher it gets for you."

"Nooo, you mean, the older you get . .  . the more _awesome_ it is."

If Spock's eyebrow could have gone farther up, it would have just then. 

"I fail to see how you look forward to my Pon farr."

"Shouldn't every human mated to a Vulcan feel that way? It is the best experience I ever had!"

Spock lowered his eyebrow.

"You are a illogical, irrational human being."

"And you love it."

"In fact I do."

The race of Vulcans had recovered from the destruction of their home planet and the near annihilation of their race. Tuvok, a valued member of the Voyager, his parents survived and had him. The list could go on depicting who survived but namely Saavik, her mother, survived the destruction of Vulcan. The parents of the valued Vulcan members of Star Fleet escaped death. A complete pointless death. It was a death that was logical but pointless and devastating. A loss that was felt all over the galaxy. The loss of one billion Vulcans were felt by those who were alive. Their screams. Their fear at the sudden give away of their ground below them, their bodies falling down, down, and down. Until they reached the red matter where their bodies were instantly vaporized. Painless death.

Jim brought Spock into a kiss with his hands to the back of the Vulcan's neck. Spock was the one to end the kiss letting their foreheads meet and their gaze be fixated on one another.

* * *

**. . . Enterprise D. . .**

**. . . 2365. . .Four hours later. . .**

Spock's mate rested on the bed covered by the blanket sheets with those pair of glasses on the counter and his hand drooped off the edge. His light snores were reassuring to Spock that his mate was living and breathing. Doctor McCoy, the man they knew as Bones, had died surrounded by his family and friends three months ago. They were fortunate to attend when his health had turned for the worst. Scotty, they still didn't know where he was. Chekov had died thirty-two years ago. Sulu passed away in 2364, July 23rd, on the 100th anniversary of the Enterprise setting sail into space on her maiden five year voyage to explore new worlds and meet new civilizations.

Spock had a feeling the engineer was still out there.

"Picard to Spock."

"Spock here."

"Please come to the bridge."

"I am on my way, Spock out."

Christine Chapel died in 2305. The only evidence that was left of the entire crew who served on the Enterprise were their grandchildren. Spock was surprised to see that there wasn't anyone directly related to his Jim. He wouldn't have been surprised if there was a one night stand in the academy that resulted in the birth of a new life about nine months later. He walked out of the quarters in his Ambassador robe. By his side was a young boy who strikingly had a youthful build and similarity to Q but a unique individual none-the-less. He was inquiring about logic regarding a certain captain and her first officer having the hots for one another but never coming to admit it.

"Logically, if they cannot and will not, ever admit," Spock said. "They must . . .as the humans say. . . Go fish. There is more fish out in the world."

"But she still cares about him." The young boy said.

"Does she care about someone else?" Spock asked.

"Why yes,she does, mostly to her crew and a mutual one with a annoying admirer." The young boy said.

"Then she should move on," Spock said. "Logically, it would be beneficial to her health."

The young boy sighed.

"She is going to die _alone_." The young boy said.

"She must open her heart up for someone else," Spock replied. "And  I understand you too are from the future that has yet to be created."

"How did you know?" The boy asked.

"It is only logical," Spock said. "If Q had a son, he would have mentioned it or popped up with him."

The boy grinned.

"I am really my fathers son." The boy said.

"You take after him," Spock said. "Your approach is . . .lets say. . . better than your fathers."

"And you say  I take after him." The boy said.

"You have some dominant facial features from him that come from the dominant gene," Spock said. "For example brown hair is a dominant gene. Brown eyes are a dominant gene. Blue eyes are a recessive gene and there are many other genes I can explain to you in the name of the science but the logic here indicates I do not have that time to do so."

"No wonder my dad liked you." The boy said.

In a white flash Spock found himself in the turbo lift and the boy was gone. Surely, this ship sort of operated like a turbo lift he had had been in prior. All ships had different locations where the turbo lift would be including the jeffries tubes. Spock muttered, "Bridge". He heard the soft woosh of the machine go up and up. He did not need to grasp onto a bar to initiate the process. It was a improvement, a nice one in fact, from one he had seen in a memory in Jim. A memory from another universe.

Shortly afterwards, the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

"Q!" Came Picard. "Get off my bridge!"

Spock walked out of the turbo lift to see Q sitting down in a lawn chair in a Hawaiian themed plaid polo, brown shorts,and had his sunglasses over his hair. He had a bad sun tan and he seemed to be clearly annoyed. Q had pink sandals on that left obvious marks around his ankles. The entity stood up, changing his attire with  a snap to command red, and he still had the bad sun tan with the obvious imprints of the sun glasses.

"I didn't bring myself here,Picard," The entity said. "I was drawn here."

"Drawn there? Then I request you draw yourself out." Picard said.

"I would like to get an answer as to why I was drawn here on my perfectly timed vacation, no thank you," Q shook his hand. "Why think I am responsible for the random transportation of mine?" Q asked.

"And here I thought it was intentional transportation," Picard said. "Given your history, you are the one most associated to the mayhem you put us through."

"The Borg was a glorious lesson, and second, I am taking _a vacation_ from teaching you terrans lessons! YES, I AM TIRED of it," Q's voice had not the fierce edge to it. "I want some other Q to be your judge, of course, but _life doesn't work that way_ ," The entity grit his teeth. "If I could give my assignment away then I would it in a heart beat. Bothering you twenty-four-seven gets easily _boring_."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really."

"Can that get you out of my hair?"

"Need I remind you that you are bald."

The banter between the two was amusing but it could escalate to something may be more threatening.

"I know why you were drawn here, Q." Spock spoke up.

Q materialized inches away from Spock.

"How do you know my name?" Q asked.

"We met in December 31st, 1999 a day before the millennium came," Spock said. "I believe you wanted my autograph."

The entity seemed to be unpleased.

"Why would I want _YOUR_ autograph?"

"Do you not know who I am?"

"Not at all."

"Ambassador--"

"Ambassador Spock," Spock said. "Quite puzzling, we have met twice and you just met me."

Q snapped his fingers.

Time froze.

"Does it get any boring for me?"

"Hm, I am not at the liberty to comment on a matter that cannot be summarized with sufficient data."

"Awww! That is really a shame. . ."

"Q."

"Yes?"

"Picard is your _T'hy'la_."

"NO!"

"Yes."

"You are lying."

"Vulcans do not lie concerning ones soulmate."

Q stepped back.

"No, no, no."

"You were by his side when Picard had died."

"I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH THE HUMAN!"

"I didn't say that, and logically, you have just made an admission to being in love with him."

Q turned away.

"That won't work out," Q said. "It never does. I just bother him because he is fun to mess with, and, potentially befriend."

"It always starts that way," Spock said. "He didn't die alone."

Q turned back.

"How do you know that?" Q asked, staring long and hard at Spock.

"Because I was visiting my recovering friend Doctor McCoy in the hospital." Spock said.

"Wait, as in . . . that Spock?" Q said, as it occurred to him.

"There is  no other Spock." Spock said.

"Ambassador Spock, first officer, science officer, to the _Enterprise_. THE original _Enterprise_!" Q said.

"Yes." Spock said.

Q took out a pad.

"Autograph please?" Q asked, taking a pen out as well.

"Q," Spock said, making the man lower the pad with his free hand. "We are not in order and in sync. We have a mutual friendship that I do not allow my mate to see, or even, pry into during our mind melds. There are some pieces of knowledge that should go unseen by the human eye." The entity raised his eyebrow. "It involved an agreement between you and I regarding any memories of you popping into our lives." The entity lowered his eyebrow. "The reason why you repressed his memories of yourself is because of a time mix up. If he remembered, the whole universe would shatter. Reason why I do not know, but you should be ware of that day when it comes in our friendship."

"So what am I to you?" Q asked.

"An old friend from a time long past." Spock said.

The item vanished in a white flash.

" _Me_?" Q said. "A _old_ _friend_?" He touched his chest. "'Why. . . Why. . . Why I am touched and speechless at the same time!"

 _Illogical, as you are currently talking,_ Spock thought.

"I like to say otherwise but that would be rude of me," Spock said. "Unfreeze,them, please,Q."

Q held his hand up.

"Vulcan's do not lie regarding friendships, is that correct?" Q asked.

"Correct." Spock said.

Q grew a dark facial expression.

"I will hold you to it." Q said.

Q snapped his fingers where he vanished in a white flash.

"Ambassador, where have you been for the past twenty-four hours?" Was Will Riker's first reaction upon seeing him in the Spock in Ten Forward.

Spock then noticed he was sitting down holding a cup of Romulan ale at a table. Q had a sense of humor, that Spock had to credit him. Chocolate could necessary get a Vulcan drunk unlike synthetic alcohol. It then occurred that Q had gotten bored during their conversation and plotted a way to get some payback after being told that his mate was a human being. Spock could recall walking by the door way Q was leaned over holding the hand of the dying man at rest. It had been illogical at the time to feel pity.

_Spock came to the doorway._

_"I grieve with thee." Spock said._

_"Don't say that," Q snapped back. "He is not dead . . . Yet."_

_"Your logic of hope that he will survive is illogical," Spock said. "His body was engineered to die within a year."_

_Q turned toward Spock._

_"How do you NOT FEEL? HOW, SPOCK? HOW DO YOU KEEP THAT MASK ON YOUR FACE WHEN SOMEONE YOU LOVE, YOU CARE, AND CHERISH DEARLY IS DYING?" Q's voice was laced in rage. "You are not the most ideal picture of a Vulcan," Insult, illogical to feel insulted. "I will admit to that, answer me, just give me on one damn good answer!"_

_"I do not know." Spock said._

_"How about the less painful situations?" Q said, tearfully._

_"I detach myself, emotionally, from the event. Doctor McCoy is recovering from his injuries inflicted by Khan's explosion." Spock said._

_"How does one human survive a crash landing . . ." Q said._

_"Humans, I have discovered, are very instinctive at defending their lives and will do anything to save it." Spock said._

_"Just leave us." Q said._

_Spock turned his head away and resumed walking down the hallway with his arms behind his back,_

"Speaking with Q," Spock had replied. "Apparently he was still unsettled by the news  I had to tell him."

 **SPOCK**!,Spock could sense Jim's worried part of the bond.

 **Yes?** , Spock replied.

 **WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?,** Jim asked.

 **Speaking with Q,** Spock replied **, he displaced me in time. I am fine, no harm, no foul**.

 **YOU HAD ME WORRIED SICK FOR YOU!** , Jim shouted.

Spock warmly comforted Jim through their bond.

 **I am here,** Spock said, **I am not leaving you anytime soon**.

The distress, being shock and fear, was replaced by warmth on Jim's side of the bond.

 **I thought I lost you** , Came Jim's voice over the connection.

 **You will never lose me, T'hy'la** , Spock reminded Jim, **for I will never leave your side**.

 **I hope you keep that** , Jim said worried. 

 **When I married you** , Spock replied, **I meant it for better or worse, I will quite literally be by your death bed no matter the case. I will love you forever**.

 **Aw, don't remind me** , Jim said, **You spoke it in Vulcan**.

 **And it was beautiful. It made Leonard cry** , Spock said.

 **No, Bones cried because we were getting married and that his two best friends were** finally **getting together,** Jim said.

As Spock was coming out of Ten Forward, Spock could sense that Scotty was alive, somewhere, out there, probably in a transporter. What kind of transporter? What ship? Scotty, he was alive. Spock could feel in the bond he shared with Jim that he too could sense it. It was a momentary confusion. They were both exchanging confused replies, such as "Did you feel that?" in their bond and both replying, "Yes." Spock found it very odd. The USS _Jenolan_.  A Dyson sphere. It was strange. Perhaps it was one of Q's gifts. That was the most logical assumption Spock could do. Perhaps it was done out of gratitude. 

So Spock explained the vague details that he had of Scotty's potential location.

Picard reassured they would check it out after he was taken to his location.

"Tell Mr Scott, when you see him," Spock said. "That Jim and I remain."

"What do you mean?" Picard asked.

"He will understand." Spock said, with the smallest of all smiles.

And when the conversation was over with the captain, Spock retired to his quarters to comfort his beloved Jim.

**The End.**


End file.
